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Texans pull plug on Smith, Franklin, Hoke
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Richard Smith
The news came as no surprise, and was welcomed by many. Richard Smith is now the former defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.
There's no need to re-visit the rationale as it's all too painfully documented. The Texans defense plays soft and gives up too many points. According to at least one player, namely Dunta Robinson, the Texans have players on the defensive side who can do a lot more than what was being asked.
If that's truly the buzz between players in the locker room I'm sure few players will miss Smith.
The release of Jethro Franklin was a bit more of a surprise. I recall seeing player quotes over the past year or so that there was a bit of a love-hate kind of relationship between Franklin and his guys. It's hard to tell unless you're at practice every day whether Franklin was being hamstrung by Smith's schemes or if there were other issues behind the lack of production as a whole.
One thing we know for sure. Smith was a yeller. So was Jethro. So was Jon Hoke. So maybe practices will be quieter now? Let's just hope we've seen the last of Anthony Weaver dropping 15 yards deep into pass coverage.
Hoke's release wasn't a complete surprise. He's been here since the beginning and you always heard his name pop up for consideration when the next college coordinator job came open. But he always ended up staying here. Hoke didn't have a lot to work with over the years but his units have never been ones to overachieve either.
Ray Rhodes remains on the staff and that's good news, as is the news that Johnny Holland will be back to coach linebackers.
Now the search begins for replacements.
Frank Bush may be the front runner but we'll have to wait and see who the rest of the candidates are before we start handicapping the field.
If I wasn't out of town using this spotty internet connection, I would be able to break this down further. But all in all this is a good day for Texans fans in the context of hope for the future. It's a time to be optimistic because the main thing holding back this team is the performance of the defense.
Let's just hope that the next guy can finally get them out of the mediocre state they've been in for far too long. I worry a bit about Kubiak's comments today that playcalling experience is not an absolute for his new guy. But he has to say that if Bush is in the mix.
Is Bush just another Smith or can he really bring something different - and based on what past success? Bush was a leading candidate three years ago, mainly because he worked with Kubiak in Denver for nine years. Most people cite his more recent experience where he had an assistant head coach title and linebackers coach at Arizona, but he's never called a game according to Kubiak and that's a bit of a concern to me.
On the other hand, hiring the next Steve Spagnuolo or Jim Johnson is easier said than done, since highly qualified defensive coordinators are not just hanging out at the local Minute Mart waiting for work. You have to go find them or already know who they are, and they have to be available.
It's safe to say this decision will make or break Kubiak's coaching future so the Texans better get it right. Due diligence are words to live by over the next two weeks.
We thank Smith, Franklin and Hoke for all of their hard work and service. I know this is a tough time on them and their families, but like Coach Kubiak said, it's part of the business. And no one should know better than Kubiak because he's at a point now where he's year to year.
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